Hey r/Futurology!

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ben Lamm and George Church, co-founders of Colossal Biosciences for my podcast Where We Go Next. One of their aims is to bring back extinct animals, including the woolly mammoth, the thylacine, and the dodo.

While our time was tight, I tried to strike a balance between orienting listeners who may be unfamiliar with this topic, and airing some skepticism I found around some of the company's more ambitious claims. We discuss:

• What "de-extinction" is, and what use it may have in rewilding distressed ecosystems
• The restoration efforts of Sergey and Nikita Zimov in Pleistocene Park in Siberia
• The role woolly mammoths would play in preserving the Arctic's methane-filled permafrost
• Whether what's being brought back is actually a mammoth or a "cold-adaptive elephant"
• What most excites George Church, the "founding father of genomics," about Colossal's work

- and more.

While I still have some reservations about the project of de-extinction, I left our conversation feeling more optimistic about this field - and the future.

You can listen to their episode on the web, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Simply search for "Where We Go Next."

Thank you for your time. And if you listen to the episode, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

And thank you to the mods for allowing me to share this conversation with the community.